 "WHOSE COUNTING"
April/May 2011
Things started getting really hectic here in our mountain in central
Pennsylvania, not only with all the rain we have been getting
for weeks, and still getting, plus floods, but also when the black
bears started their ventures the third week
of April after a long winter sleep.
For three nights although we didn't see the bear or bears,
we did see what they were into.
The first night because we had not seen them thus far, we hadn't taken
down four suet cakes hanging on ropes on oak trees.
(we do not put nails in our trees). The bear must
have been very quiet because our two pups Rags and Susie,
did NOT bark and get us awake.
And we must have been sleeping sound and did not see the motion
lights come on. So the bear had his fill of four brand new suet cakes,
and we had four wrecked holders.
My hubby Joe was able to repair two of them.
The second night I guess the bear got upset because we had nothing out
for him to eat, and he relocated several solar lights
we had around bridge. He didn't destroy them,
just laid them elsewhere.
We set the lights back in place and the third
night the bear again relocated them.
We came to the conclusion this was a smaller
bear, which I will explain that in a bit.
Now this story continues into the last week in April.
Four nights in a row, we had several bears here and we saw all of them.
The sizes of them were different and we have watched the
bears grow from young up and got to know a couple
of them and named them.
The first night of this particular busy week for them
visiting, was very unexpected since it was only nine PM.
Joe has started back to work at his part time
job at local university golf course, and gets up at 4 AM.,
so he goes to bed between nine and nine thirty. About 9:15 PM.
we turned the motion lights on, and took the
pups out to the dog run.
Gave them a few minutes to tend to business, brought
them back in the house, and Joe headed to bed.
And in two to three minutes the mountain side motion lights
came on again, and standing right there
in our yard was one of the smaller bears, just non-chalantly
moseying around, eating what ever bird seed was on the ground,
that fell out of feeders the squirrels and birds pushed out.
Seeing that bear just a couple minutes after we brought the pups
back in, actually startled me. I jumped when I saw it,
and called Joe who had not yet gotten in bed.
It is then we both realized that the bear was in our yard
while we were out with pups.
It apparently was not in range of the motion lights for
us to see it. WHOA!
What amazes us is that we apparently did not bother
him, with our talking, or walking around,
because he was calm, and he surely heard us.
And then we knew why Rags was
looking around and antsy to get off leash.
He roamed all around the house for about an hour,
and I watched him walk down the road towards the creek.
A few minutes later Joe saw a second larger bear come
down from the mountain side, and motion lights came on.
By this time and since the first bear cleaned
everything up, we were tired and went to bed and let him be.
What we had to do
different was take
the pups to bed so they would stop barking.
Rascal - picture taken 2007
The following night we went to bed our usual time,
and pups were on their chairs sleeping.
Around 2 AM, Rags was barking ferociously, motion lights
were on and yep there was a bear,
one of the big ones. We were so tired we just went to bed.
Joe kept on sleeping if that is possible after I quieted
the pups down. The bear did the usual scanning
of the place, and even stood up at the gate
of the dog run sniffing around.
Once again my heart started pounding, because the gate
was open, and I thought UH OH, If he goes
in the dog run we are going to
have one angry bear if he can't find his way out.
He finally left and we learned a new lesson,
to shut the gate at all times, because
they have visited during daylight hours.
The next day I discovered he yanked down TWO
brackets with hanging plants Joe had put up on tree.
The bear had pawed around in the soil, but believe
it or not, the new seedlings are still in there.
We used to hang suet on this tree, but squirrels ruined
everything, getting in feeders and eating the suet.
But our bears know and remember every where we
had seed or suet from coming here year after year.
Needless to say we moved the hanging plants.
The following evening was a different encounter. The pups
were in the dining room, sleeping on their chairs,
and we had gone to bed, when again Rags went crazy barking.
We both went to the kitchen and there right outside
the window was a huge bear looking in. It's mannerisms
made us think it was Rascal.
Almost all the bears have seen
or heard our boxer dog Lilah, over the nine
years she lived here. This was a very different sound.
Rascal was standing there swinging his head back
and forth as if he was trying to figure out what
the heck that noise was.
We grabbed the pups and took them to bed with us,
and left the bear alone.
The following morning going on 4 AM the motion lights
were on but didn't see a bear. However we
are concerned now, taking the pups out for morning business
so we will both get up and take them
out the front door in our bedroom right to the
dog run and keep guard for each other.
Joe had gone to work, and when it was daylight
I saw the bear had pushed over our ten foot
pole and the house feeder on top fell off and broke.
This heavy steel boiler tube pole has been
there for years, but we decided enough is enough,
and we removed the pole for good.
We know of at least twelve bears who
have been here over the years.
But then who is counting. A few years back
there were four in yard at one time.
And folks, as God is my Witness, as I finish
this story at 9 PM, May 2nd. 2011, the motion
lights just came on again.
We did not see a bear, and hopefully now that there
is nothing to attract them here, they won't stick around
long. We will miss them if they do not come back.
I/we have been outside with Rascal over his growing up years.
Click here to read ~ Joe and Barb's
"Critter Cafe"
I have many stories in my site maps about
the bears who come here, and articles and facts
pages on black bears. They can be dangerous,
but they are interesting to watch, and learn about them.
Good night from Barb, Joe, Rags, Susie,
And Lilah In Spirit:
Written May - 2011 ~ ©Barbara L. Chambers Carter
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